


New Kid

by plsnskanks (orphan_account)



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Junior High, its norwejen part 3 ladies and gents, toms a bit of a dick, tords new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 05:12:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15599046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/plsnskanks
Summary: Prequel to this https://archiveofourown.org/works/10938702/chapters/24337992





	New Kid

Tom is looking at the grimy finger jabbed in his face with mild annoyance and disgust. The new kid utters something unintelligible and Tom looks at Edd for help.

"What's up with caveman Jones?" Tom says nodding to his friend. Edd seemed to get the new kid more than he did and vice versa. They were much closer than Tom could stand to be, especially since new kid had a habit of picking up every odd thing off the ground.

Edd shrugs. He gets a sly smirk and looks at his new friend and says "He's the new kid, from like... Sweden or somewhere?"

Tord shoots Edd a dirty look and kicks his shoe "Nei."

Edd looks at him in mock confusion and then remembers, "Ah that's right, Norway, sorry about that pal."

Tord's face lightens considerably at the apology and Tom can't help but think it's kind of nice. That is until Tord turns his focus back to him and jams his finger in Tom's face again. He's pretty sure he can see dirt under Tord's nail.

He repeats some word again and Tom finds himself getting irritated. 

"I don't know what that means," he says, slapping down Tord’s hand. Tord let's out another slew of words and Tom is turning away and walking off.

They have a few classes together. Art and History and English. He doesn't know what sort of luck put him in three classes with the nuisance, but that is how it is and he deals with it.

Art is bearable in part because Edd and Matt are also in it and when Edd isn't getting in trouble for trying to get Tord to eat the art supplies they’re all collaborating together to make comics. Everyone has their own character and they go on wacky adventures and the class passes fast enough that Tom doesn’t really mind that Tord is there.

English and history however. Through dumb luck or just because the teacher hates him for putting his feet up on the desk whenever possible, Tom ends up partners with Tord in both English and History. Maybe it’s because the teacher thinks they’re friends. They are not friends.

Tord struggles to read through a single passage aloud, mispronouncing things left and right and Tom could not care less if they didn’t have a slew of questions to answer unless they wanted to take it home for homework.

Which meant Tom was going to do it because he’ll be damned if he let Tord get the paper grimy and ripped and have their grade docked. Seriously. He’s seen Tord’s books, brown smudges all over them. What, does he live in a mudpit?

It’s annoying but bearable. History is okay because the group work they have together there is mostly just art projects centered around historical events and okay- Tom may not exactly love being Tord’s partner but the kid can draw, especially tanks, weapons, soldiers. So Tom writes out all the important bits and leaves Tord to draw and their project is usually the best in the class.

So it’s not that bad. But today of all days Tord is extra annoying for whatever reason and in the middle of English he is trying to say something to Tom who’s got his feet up on the desk because the teacher is too busy writing on the board to pay attention.

Tord is once again shoving his hand in Tom’s face and he has been doing this all week and Tom is nearing the end of his fuse so he slaps Tord’s hand away again and its audible in the silence of the room and as he does so he loses his balance and his chair tips backwards and slams onto the floor, taking Tom down with it.

Tord laughs obnoxiously from above him and in another fit of blind fury Tom kicks out and knocks Tord’s chair over sideways, sending him sprawling into the aisle.

That is how Tom gets his third and Tord his first detention.

Tord’s laughter stops almost immediately as the pink slip is handed to both of them and he sits in sullen silence for the rest of the class. Tom… does not feel good. Sure Tord was annoying and an asshole but he didn’t do anything to deserve a detention. Tom had knocked over both their chairs. The fight was completely one sided.

Tord continues to pout all through class. When group work comes Tom finishes their assignment without complaint and writes Tord’s name at the top for him and turns it in. He wants to talk to Tord and tell him something but Tord sits facing off away from him and won’t even look at him.

He sulks all through lunch and Tom eventually ends up telling Edd and Matt what happened.

“Oh her, she’s no fun and no nonsense,” Edd remarks.

“Mrs. K is nice,” Matt said as he took a bite of his sandwich.

“Only if you’re a suck up,” Edd says and Matt’s face turns as sour as the cafeteria milk.

“If being a suck up keeps me out of detention I think I’m good. You’re like three detentions away from a referral,” Matt said, as he bites into his sandwich ferociously and glares at Edd.

Edd laughs, “I’d have a referral by now if they could prove everything I did but they can’t and I only have two months before they wipe my slate.”

“Referral?” Tord asked looking concerned.

“It’s where they call in your parents and you have to talk with the teacher and you don’t get snack breaks anymore,” Edd explained.

Tord’s expression crumbles as he digs in his bag to take out the slip, “Is this?” His hands are shaking as he holds the slip out to Edd. Tom suddenly doesn’t feel very hungry. Edd pushes the slip back across the table

“Nah, nah, that’s just a detention, you have to stay for an hour after school in whoever’s hosting today. Tom’s got it with you, he’ll show you the way.”

Tord nods and puts the slip away without looking at Tom. Lunch ends and math blows by which means it’s time for history. And. Well. It goes. Tord still isn’t saying or doing anything and they sit in awkward silence before class starts. Usually Tord would try to make conversation or tell Tom historical facts he knew and they’d struggle to figure out what names he was trying to say or what terms he was mangling.

It wasn’t bad and Tom actually really enjoyed hearing Tord talk about a subject he was so passionate about. But today? Nothing. 

Class starts and they are teaching about the USSR and Tom sees Tord perk up a bit at the subject. They go through the rise and fall and an array of leaders and tactics. Tord seems to be enjoying himself, leaning forward on his desk with brimming excitement.

Then the class is over.

“You alright there, commie? Class seemed to cheer you up,” Tom said tentatively as he looked over at Tord packing his backs with a soft smile on his face.

“Eh? Yes,” Tord said, expression rapidly cooling off as he spoke. 

“Ah, alright, well detention is on the other side of school if you want to follow?”

Tord doesn’t respond so Tom just picks up his back and walks out. Tord follows him through the halls, walking behind him but not next to him. Finally, Tom’s had enough. They have fifteen minutes before it starts so he stops in the center of the hall.

“Look. I am sorry okay? I kicked your chair over and knocked mine over. I treated you bad because you were annoying me and I know you just got here this week and you’re still getting to know everyone so I am sorry, okay?” Tom lets out a harsh exhalation and lets his shoulders dropped. He hadn’t even realized they were hunched.

Tord just looks at him quietly. Tom sighs and keeps walking. Tord walks next to him. They get into detention, Tom signs his name and the time and taps under it for Tord to do the same. He does and Tom goes to take a seat. Tord sits a seat over from him, leaving an empty chair between them.

Fair enough.

Tom looks down at the desk and does what he usually does during detention which is trace the names of previous detainees carved into the table while he watches the clock tick down every so often.

God. He wants to get out of here. He could be home playing his guitar or biking over to Matt’s or whatever but instead he’s here and he drug the new kid into his first detention. Tom looks over at Tord. 

Tord is staring at his hands and looking at his nails. He takes out a notebook and pencil from his backpack and starts sketching. Rules of detention varied from teacher to teacher. This particular teacher had a rap for letting things slide as long as you were quiet so Tom doubted Tord would get in trouble just for a doodle or two. 

Tom goes back to tracing names and then a squirrel appears in the window and Tom watches it sit on the branch for a bit and then another squirrel comes and shoos the first one away and they both chases each other out of sight.

By the time it occurs to him to look back at the clock they have five minutes left. Well dang. Not so bad a detention this time around. Not as fun as when Edd is here because Edd has a way of making detention into a “I’m not trapped in here with you, your trapped in her with me” kind of deal with teachers having threatened him with another detention without saying anything or moving within their field of view.

But he’d take a quiet, relaxed detention if he had to take one at all.

The timer goes off and everyone rises up out of their seats and starts to file out. Tord makes his way over to Tom, tearing out the page he was drawing on and thrusting it over to Tom.

It’s a drawing. Of the two of them in a rocket ship blasting off with the earth and a dwindling smoke trail behind them. Tom is smiling in the picture and so is Tord. Their rocket ship has USSR in bold print on it.

“We are cosmonauts,” Tord says with grin. “We survived detention.”

Tom looks over the drawing once more, “Wow this is really good, you did this in under an hour?”

“Yes,” Tord says nodding.

Tom goes to hand it back.

“Nei,” Tord puts his hands up.

Tom’s eyebrows shoot up. 

“Oh hey, I know what to do with this,” Tom takes out his history binder and starts to slide it under the cover before pausing and pulling it out again.

“Hey, Davinci, sign it,” he says, setting it down on the table and tapping on it. Tord signs it in his illegible scrawl and Tom slides it into his binder cover. He puts it in his bag and together they start to walk out.

“So are we… good?”

“Yes,” Tord nods. “I am sorry I am annoying.”

Tom scratched the back of his head, “It’s not you, just stop putting your fingers in my face all the time and speaking in Norwegian, I got no clue what you’re saying and it’s annoying.”

“Ah,” Tord says in surprise. “I was trying to say, I like you eyes, but I could not remember how.”

Tom feels his cheeks flush as he looks at Tord. His eyes are pretty cool now that he thinks about it.  
They’re this cool gunmetal grey and Tom thinks he would play an excellent dictator if they would cast junior high students to be in movies.

“Thanks I guess, yours are cool too,” Tom says and Tord smiles brightly in response. Tom’s car is idling out front, his mom honks the horn at his approach and a petulant Tamara is sitting in the back seat. She cracks the window.

“Get in the car buttwipe, we’ve been out running errands to pass time and I want to go home.”

Tom looks at Tord, “You got a ride?” 

Tord shakes his head, “I usually walk.”

“How far?”

“Eh… five kilometers?”

“I dunno how long that is but sounds like a lot, you want a lift?”

Tord shrugs.

“Hey ma! Tord says he walks five kiwi meters home.”

“Tord sweetie, get in the car, we’ll drive you,” his mom calls back.

Tord piles in the back and he is sandwiched between Tom and Tamara. Tamara takes a look at him.

“Hey… you Tori’s brother?”

“Yes.”

Tamara’s eyelids lower and she shuffles herself a bit away from Tord, “Figures….”

They follow Tord’s directions and that’s how Tom learns that Tord lives all of ten minutes from his house and walks everyday because his parents work early.

“Oh sweetheart, you can come carpool with us, just show up around seven thirty, that’s when we usually leave,” Tom’s mom says as she pulls over and lets him out.

“Yeah but your sister can walk,” Tamara sneers. 

“Your sister can ride up front if her parents are okay with it,” Tom’s mom says and with that she and Tom give a final wave and Tamara a loud groan as they pull away.

Tord ends up in their car every morning, sans Tori because apparently Tori prefers to run to school and shower in the gym to keep fit for soccer. It isn’t bad and Tom finds himself liking Tord more and more and he finds he doesn’t mind as much when Tord stops to tell him how cool his eyes are, in English or Norwegian.


End file.
